Day 7: The Dark Revenge of Jack Bauer
by JacobMichaud
Summary: Kim Bauer is dead, killed by terrorist Mamoud Faruq. CTU is searching for him...So is Jack Bauer.
1. Chapter 1

**Prequel**

The trendy LA café was unusually quiet considering it was a Sunday afternoon. A handful of people were scattered at tables inside, casually sipping coffee. Soft classical piano played over the speakers and a waiter approached the man sitting in the centre of the restaurant, the man with the horrible acid burn on his hand.

'What can I get you today?' The waiter asked. Jack Bauer looked up at him and smiled slightly.

'I'm still waiting for someone…' Jack said. The waiter nodded and walked away.

Jack took a sip from the glass of water on the table and then watched as the Toyota pulled up just outside the café. The engine stopped and a woman got out of the car. She looked very different, but Jack would never forget her face.

As she entered the café, Jack stood up. She saw Jack and gave him a nervous smile. She brushed her blonde hair behind her ears and walked towards the table. Jack stood up and hugged her.

'Dad, it's been so long.' Kim said.

'It's so good to see you.' Jack said. They pulled apart and Jack looked at his daughter in the eyes. A single tear rolled down his face and he wiped it away. Jack kissed her head and then hugged her again.

They finished their long embrace and sat down across from each other.

'How have you been?' Jack asked. Kim paused and smiled awkwardly.

'Good. I mean I'm single again but I think I've sorted a lot of my stuff out.' Kim said.

'That's good.' Jack said. 'I'm so sorry for everything that has happened to you…'

'I know Dad…' Kim said. 'I also know that a lot of what I've blamed you for in the past hasn't really been your fault.'

'I shouldn't have stayed with CTU. I should have left a long time ago.'

'No. Don't say that. This country is kept safe by people like you.' Kim said. 'I'm sorry that I held onto that anger for so long.'

Jack reached out and held Kim's hand.

'I think I'm ready to start talking to you again.' Kim said.

'That's good.' Jack said. The tears forming in his eyes made him look away. 'That's all I ever wanted.'

'I'm going to be busy for the next few months because of the campaign but after that I would like nothing more than to spend some time with you.' Kim said. 'Like the old times.'

Jack nodded. 'So you got the job as Norman Harris's personal assistant?'

'Yeah.' Kim replied. 'The reference from President Palmer helped out a lot.'

'I'm sure everything he said about you is true.' Jack said.

Kim smiled at her father.

'Do you think he has a chance at becoming President?' Kim asked.

'Norman Harris?' Jack asked. 'I really don't know. I haven't followed the news since I left CTU.'

'Of course.' Kim said.

Jack sighed and there was suddenly a tension between them. One that had always existed.

'Kim…' Jack said.

'Yeah?' Kim asked

'Promise me that when you're out there on the campaign trail that you'll be careful.' Jack said.

Kim nodded. 'I promise.'

The waiter approached the table.


	2. Chapter 2

_The following takes place between 9:00 am and 10:00 am. Events occur in real time._

**CTU, Los Angeles**

NADIA YASSIR entered the CTU bullpen. She was dressed in a navy blue suit and her hair was straightened. She inhaled and held the breath in for a few seconds before letting it out. It had been almost a year since she had last been in CTU. It was busy. The monitors were flashing bright red. CTU was in the middle of a crisis.

A man sitting behind Chloe's workstation saw her and stood up. He was tall, thin and deathly pale. He had thinning blonde hair and wore neat spectacles that reflected the fluorescent lighting.

'Hello, you must be Nadia. I'm Henry Fisher, I replaced Chloe after last year's incident.' Henry said. Nadia smiled and shook his hand. 'It must be strange being back here after so long.'

'It is. I have to say, I'm a little surprised that the Director wanted me back.' Nadia said. 'It looks like the entire staff has been replaced.'

'It has.' Henry said. He started to walk towards the Director's office. Nadia followed him. An image of Senator Norman Harris, the Democratic Presidential nominee, was on the monitors. He was an older man, his hair was almost completely grey.

'Can you tell me anything about what has happened?' Nadia asked.

'Norman Harris was assassinated.' Henry said. Nadia stopped dead, her blood ran cold.

'When did this happen?' Nadia asked.

'Ten minutes ago.' Henry said 'His car exploded on the way to a nominee breakfast.'

'Oh my God.' Nadia said.

'There's a lot more to it…' Henry said. 'But I'll let Alberta explain that to you.'

They had arrived at the base of the stairs that led to the Alberta Green's office. Henry stopped and turned to Nadia.

'This is where I leave.' Henry said. 'I just wanna say that I've read a lot about the incident last year and that it is going to be an honour to work with such a dedicated agent.'

Nadia nodded. 'Thank you.'

With that, Henry turned and walked back to his workstation.

* * *

ALBERTA GREEN sat at her desk, she was reading over the preliminary reports of the attack that had claimed three lives, including Senator Norman Harris. She had aged considerably since her last stint at CTU. There was a knock on the door. Alberta looked up.

'Come on.' Alberta said. Nadia Yassir entered and stood in the door way awkwardly.

'Take a seat Nadia.' Alberta said without looking up from her paper work.

Nadia walked into the office and took a seat across from Alberta.

They sat there for a moment whilst Alberta finalised her work. She finally looked at Nadia.

'Hello Nadia.' Alberta said. 'Welcome back to CTU.'

'Look, I understand that you are in crisis mode but you can't just expect me to come all this way without an explanation.' Nadia said.

'What do you mean?' Alberta asked.

'I mean you could have called anyone in here to fill my position but you specifically chose me…' Nadia said.

'Believe me Nadia, you weren't my first choice.' Alberta said without a hint of emotion in her voice. 'After Bill Buchanan declined I was forced to turn to you.'

'What is this all about?' Nadia asked. She was growing frustrated.

'Henry told you about the assassination of Senator Harris?' Alberta asked.

'Yes.' Nadia said.

'Just five minutes ago we received a video-tape from a representative of 'Holy Light', the terrorist group responsible for the Battery Park bombing last year. They claimed responsibility for the Harris assassination and are threatening to kill more Americans.' Alberta said. 'President Forest has made the elimination of 'Holy Light' priority one.'

'I don't know how you expect me to be any help in that…' Nadia said.

'I don't.' Alberta said. 'You'll be working on something else.'

'What?' Nadia asked.

'We have reason to believe that Jack Bauer is going to become active as soon as the press releases the information about the Harris assassination.' Alberta said. 'He may perform certain actions that will hamper our investigation.'

'Why would Jack Bauer get involved in this?' Nadia asked. 'He's been dark for over a year.'

'There were three casualties in the incident. Senator Harris was one, his wife was another.' Alberta said. 'The third one was Kimberly Bauer.'

Nadia froze.

* * *

**Schumann Residence, LA.**

Sandra Schumann stood in the kitchen of her suburban house. She wore her long brown hair tied up. She was in a nightgown and smiled as she made coffee. There was movement behind her and her smile grew even wider.

Jack Bauer entered the kitchen and embraced Sandra from behind. He kissed her neck.

'Good morning.' Jack said. He smiled and reached over her grabbing a cup of coffee. He drank from it and moved to a clear area on the kitchen bench.

'It certainly is a good morning.' Sandra said. 'Did you sleep okay?'

'I slept fine.' Jack said.

'And you didn't even need to take your medication.' Sandra said. 'As your therapist I have to say you're making progress.'

Jack smiled wryly and turned back to her.

'I hope you don't expect me to pay for last night Dr. Schumann.' He said. He moved over to her and kissed her long and soft on the mouth. She pulled away and they looked at each other for a few moments.

Sandra was suddenly distracted by something in the background. She reached over and grabbed the remote control. She turned the volume up and Jack turned around.

The Fox News anchor sat behind a desk as a picture of Senator Norman Harris appeared in the top right hand corner of the screen.

'Senator Norman Harris was killed this morning when his car exploded on the way to a breakfast meeting. The Counter-Terrorist Unit has revealed that the explosion was not accidental, which is leading many to believe that he was assassinated.' The anchor said.

'Oh my God.' Jack said, his smile completely faded. 'My daughter worked for him.'

'Amongst the dead are Senator Harris, his wife and his personal assistant Kimberly Bauer.'

Jack's cup shattered on the floor.

**9:59:57…9:59:58…9:59:69…10:00:00**


	3. Chapter 3

_The following takes place between 10:00 am and 11:00 am. Events occur in real time._

**Schumann Residence, LA**

JACK BAUER was silent. He watched the television screen as footage of a flaming car played over and over. In his mind he saw Kim inside it, burning alongside Senator Harris and his wife.

Kim was dead.

Sandra put her warm hand on Jack's shoulder but he didn't feel it. All he could do was watch the television screen with no expression on his face, whilst a fire raged in his mind.

She couldn't believe what had just happened. Jack had lost everything in his life and he had only just reclaimed his daughter. Now she was gone. Sandra needed to act fast, before Jack did something dangerous.

'Jack, look at me…' Sandra said. Jack snapped out of his absent gaze and looked at Sandra.

There was such hurt in his eyes, such betrayal. The windows to Jack's soul were never clean but now she couldn't even see through them.

'I want you to sit down Jack. I'm going to get you something that will help you stay relaxed…' Sandra said. She guided Jack to a seat on the lounge. Jack followed, sitting on the lounge. He was still in a daze.

Once he was down Sandra went to leave. 'Are you going to be alright while I go to the bathroom to get you something?'

Jack nodded but it was a mechanical response.

Sandra entered the bathroom and immediately opened the medicine cabinet. She rummaged through the various medication bottles looking for the bottle of Valium. As his therapist, she knew Jack's history. But it was more than that, by watching him talk about events he had never spoken about and by seeing his reaction she had experienced a small part of his history. She knew Jack well enough to know that he needed to be sedated. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from getting active, seeking redemption. Nobody would be able to stop him.

She found the bottle, grabbed it and left the bathroom.

Sandra stepped into the lounge room and found that it was empty. Jack was gone. She raced to the window just in time to see Jack's SUV reverse out of the driveway and speed off down the street.

JACK BAUER drove through the suburban streets of Los Angeles. His mind had been racing and he needed to clear it. He tried focussing on the road and breathing in and out. It worked but just barely. The fire in his mind calmed a little and he was able to see things a little more logically.

She was gone. Taken so quickly. He couldn't even believe that it had happened.

He had retired from CTU. He had given up life as a federal agent and had no intention of taking it back up. No, this was something above that. It was something far more primal. Jack Bauer was going to find the person who killed his daughter and make him suffer until his last breath.

He needed access to CTU's intelligence behind the terrorist attack on the Senator's car but the restructuring of CTU had left him without any government contacts.

There was really only one person he could call that might be able to help him.

Jack picked up his cell phone and pushed the auto-dial for Chloe O'Brian.

Chloe's phone rang twice before she answered.

'Hello?' Chloe asked. She was in a dressing gown and there were toys strewn all over the floor of her apartment.

'Chloe its Jack Bauer…' Jack said, without the slightest trace of emotion.

'Jack, Hi. I mean, can I call you back in a few minutes? Now's not a very good time.' Chloe said. She was completely oblivious to what had just happened.

'Chloe' Jack paused. He didn't know how to break the news to her 'Did you watch the news this morning?'

'No Jack, I wish I had time for that sort of thing.' Chloe said.

'Kim's dead, Chloe.' Jack said. 'She was killed in a terrorist attack'

The phone line went silent.

'Oh my God Jack. I…I don't know what to say.' Chloe said.

'You don't have to say anything. I need you to do something for me.' Jack said. Chloe already guessed what it is that he wanted. 'I need you to access the CTU servers and download any of the intelligence they have regarding the terrorist attack.'

'Why don't you go into CTU yourself and help them?' Chloe asked.

'You and I both know that won't ever happen.' Jack said. 'I need those files, Chloe.'

'I can't do that Jack. I don't work for CTU anymore. I mean, I would have to hack in…' Chloe said.

'Can you do it?' Jack asked.

'Of course I can do it. But is this really what you want Jack? I mean, I'm sure CTU is doing everything that they can to track down the person responsible.' Chloe said.

Jack sighed. 'Spare me the ethical lecture Chloe. I need to know if you can do this for me…'

Chloe thought about everything that they had been through.

'Okay Jack. But I don't think this is a good idea. I think you should go into CTU. They know what they're doing.' Chloe said.

'Send it to my cell.' Jack said. He hung up the phone and continued to drive.

His cell rang again. Jack looked down at it. The caller ID said 'Sandra- Home'. He moved his thumb over to the 'ignore caller' button and pushed it.

**CTU, Los Angeles**

Nadia Yassir sat across from Alberta Green. Alberta had setup the projection screen and was running through a list of the members of 'Holy Light'. She flicked over to the next image. A middle-eastern man in traditional Islamic dress with a thick, black beard filled the screen.

'This is the group's leader, Mamoud Faruq. He's an experienced bomb maker and he's currently on the FBI's most wanted list. He is personally responsible for the deaths of over one thousand innocent civilians in terrorist attacks around the world.' Alberta said.

'And you're sure that he's the one that is behind the assassination of Norman Harris?' Nadia asked.

'Without a doubt, all the evidence we have gathered around the bombsite has indicated 'Holy Light'. The bomb included signature ingredients of Mamoud Faruq. He made it.' Alberta said.

'I've studied 'Holy Light' fairly deeply and I just don't see why they would assassinate Senator Harris. It doesn't seem to match their profile.' Nadia said.

'I know. But there's something else.' Alberta said.

'What?' Nadia asked.

Alberta sighed. 'This isn't going to be easy for you...'

Nadia tried to brace herself. 'Just tell me what is Alberta.'

'We have evidence that indicates that 'Holy Light' recruited a former high level employee of the American government. We believe that he is heavily influencing their ideological ambitions.' Alberta said.

'Who is it?' Nadia asked.

'Bill Buchanan.' Alberta said.

**10:59:57…58…59…11:00:00**


	4. Chapter 4

_The following takes place between 11:00 am and 12:00 pm. Events occur in real time._

**CTU, Los Angeles**

It was the second time Nadia was in shock, but this time the shock was different. She had worked with Bill Buchanan closely and she even ventured to guess that they were close friends, as close as you can be in this job anyway. There was no way that he could be working for terrorists.

'You're saying that Bill Buchanan is working for a terrorist organisation?' Nadia asked.

'The evidence indicates that he's not only working for 'Holy Light', he may even be leading it.' Alberta said.

'I'm sorry. I'm just finding this a little difficult to believe.' Nadia said. 'What evidence do you have to support this?'

Alberta clicked onto the next slide. A scanned version of a hand-written letter appeared on the monitor. It was addressed to a man named 'Ahmed Bin Shareef' and signed 'Bill Buchanan'.

'This is a letter to 'Holy Light's' second in charge, Ahmed Bin Shareef. We've compared the letter to a sample of Bill's handwriting and it's a match. In it, Bill Buchanan outlines his sympathy for 'Holy Light's' cause.' Alberta said. 'We've got many more of these. They all show the evolution of a complex relationship between Bill and 'Holy Light'.'

Nadia processed the information. She tried to think whether or not the handwriting on the screen did indeed look like Bill's, but she couldn't recall what his handwriting looked like. It was just too long ago.

Suddenly, Alberta's phone rang. She looked at the display, it read 'Henry Fisher'. She pushed the loud-speaker button.

'Alberta…' Alberta answered.

'It's Henry. Listen we just got a report in from one of our operatives. Shareef has been spotted entering an apartment building on Wilkshire street, twenty minutes from here.' Henry said.

Alberta immediately stood up in urgency. 'Send a tac-team to the location, tell them that this is a priority-one and that Shareef needs to be taken alive.'

Alberta walked out from behind her desk. Nadia stood up.

'What do you want me to do?' Nadia asked.

'Stay here…' Alberta said.

Alberta walked out onto the landing over-looking the CTU bullpen.

'Listen up people!' Alberta yelled. Everybody working in CTU stopped suddenly. 'We've just got an eye witness account of Ahmed Bin Shareef entering an apartment complex. I've sent CTU-One into apprehend him but I need you all to focus on this. This just became priority-one!'

**Streets of Los Angeles**

JACK BAUER drove down the street with his eyes on the road. He could have easily stopped and waited for Chloe to get back to him but the act of driving distracted him from thinking about Kim. There was a voice in the back of his mind that told him he should turn back around and go back to Sandra, but he couldn't do it.

His phone rang. Jack picked answered.

'Chloe?' Jack asked.

'Hello Jack. I just left the CTU server.' Chloe said. 'The group responsible for the assassination of Senator Harris is the 'Holy Light', led by Mamoud Faruq.'

'Son-of-a-bitch…' Jack said, his memory recalled the face of the man responsible for the death of his daughter.

'You know them Jack?' Chloe asked.

'Yeah, I do.' Jack said 'Does CTU know the location of Faruq?'

'No. They're still looking but they just got a location for Faruq's second in charge, one Ahmed Bin Shareef.' Chloe said. 'Do you know him?'

'No.' Jack said. 'Have they arrested him yet?'

'No. They just received his location. A tac-team is en route now.' Chloe said.

'Where is he?' Jack asked.

Chloe paused. She looked behind her at her baby sleeping in a crib next to her bed.

'Damn it Chloe! Where is he?' Jack demanded.

'I'll send the address and a picture of him to your cell. You're going to have to hurry if you want to beat CTU there.' Chloe said.

She hung up.

Jack's phone beeped again as the information came through.

* * *

**The White House, Washington D.C.**

PRESIDENT JAMES FOREST sat at his desk in the oval office. He had started his presidency, a year ago, with colour in his hair and it was now completely grey. It was the type of job that took a lot out of you. He was born in Texas and since the day he turned thirteen he had been a Republican. He was going over the daily CIA briefings, reading the latest evidence on the group that had assassinated Senator Harris, the primary threat to his re-election.

His intercom buzzed. He pushed the red button.

'Yes Mrs. Landingham?' President Forest asked.

'I've got the Press Secretary here to see you.' Mrs. Landingham said.

President Forest sighed.

'Send him in.' Forest said.

The door the Oval office opened and the Press Secretary, Lance Jacobs entered with an air of determination. He walked up to the President's desk.

'Good morning Lance.' President Forest said.

'Good morning Mr. President. We need to talk about something.' Lance Jacobs said. He had been working up the courage to bring this to the President all morning.

'What's that?' President Forest said.

'I just got word that you signed off on the Fiscal Freedom bill?' Lance said.

'That's correct.' President Forest said.

'Sir, that bill proposes a savage restructuring of our social services.' Lance said. The desperation was now visible in his eyes. 'The damage done by Fiscal Freedom is the type that can't be undone.'

'It's funny you call it damage Lance, because I don't see it that way.' President Forest said.

'I know that you are a conservative James, but you can't implement a bill as brutal as Fiscal Freedom. It will do significant damage to working class America.' Lance said.

'It may in the beginning Lance, but once the bill has been in place for a few months there will be a trickle-down effect that will benefit all Americans.' President Forest said.

'That's ridiculous. You know as well as I that every other country that has implemented such extreme reform has only been worse off.' Lance said. 'James, I urge you not to sign Fiscal Freedom.'

'It's Mr. President to you, Lance.' President Forest said.

Lance was silent. 'It won't pass, Mr. President.'

President Forest laughed loudly. 'Oh I have a feeling that it will.'

'What does that mean?' Lance asked.

'You can go now.' President Forest said.

Lance knew that he wasn't going to get anything out of the President. He nodded and turned, leaving the oval office.

President Forest went back to reading his CIA briefing.

* * *

**Apartment Complex, Los Angeles**

JACK BAUER pulled up outside the apartment complex and parked his SUV. He got out and slammed the door shut. He moved to the trunk of the car and opened it.

He removed a layer of carpet to reveal a pistol, four clips and a silencer. He removed the pistol and screwed the silencer on.

Jack checked the clip and closed the boot. He entered the apartment complex.

He carried the gun in his right hand and his cell in the left. The gun was down to his side so that it was concealed from the public. He looked at the photo of Ahmed Bin Shareef, memorized it as he had memorized the apartment number: '17.'

Jack moved quickly. A CTU tac-team was close behind him. They would be there at any moment.

An elderly woman stood in the middle of the hall-way. Jack moved past her without making eye contact. He found the stair-case and jogged up it quickly.

Outside, a black van pulled up. The back door opened and the five man tac-team poured out, their backs marked with the white signature letters; 'CTU'. They stormed up the building.

Jack came to apartment '17'. He put his phone away and took a step back from the door. He readied his weapon and kicked the door in.

Jack entered the apartment.

'Shareef!?' Jack yelled. He cleared the lounge room and then moved into the bedroom.

Shareef was sitting on the bed calmly, his arms folded in his lap. He was wearing a traditional Islamic robe.

'I didn't think this was how it was going to happen…' Shareef said.

'Are you Ahmed Bin Shareef!?' Jack demanded rather than asked.

'Yes.' Shareef said without sounding shocked.

'Get up! You're coming with me!' Jack said.

* * *

The tac-team arrived outside apartment '17'. The door was already open. The team-leader signalled the team to enter.

In one swift movement the apartment was cleared by the tac-team.

It was empty.

_11:59:57…58…59…12:00:00_


	5. Chapter 5

_The following takes place between 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm. Events occur in real time._

**CTU, Los Angeles**

ALBERTA GREEN stood behind her desk in the Director's office of CTU. Nadia sat across from her. Alberta was on a conference call with Arthur Talon, the leader of the tac-team that had just raided Shareef's apartment.

'What do you mean the apartment is empty?' Alberta asked.

'We've cleared every inch of this place and there is no sign of Shareef, or anybody for that matter.' Talon said.

'Damn it!' Alberta yelled. 'This is unacceptable.'

Alberta put a hand to her head, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on her. Nadia suddenly felt like she should say something.

'Maybe he received a tip off.' Nadia said.

'That's impossible. No one on the outside knew Shareef's location.' Alberta said.

'It might have been from inside.' Nadia said.

'No. I'm not willing to accept that there is a mole inside CTU.' Alberta said.

'How else do you explain it?' Nadia asked.

Alberta sighed.

'Ms. Green, what would you like me to do?' Talon asked on the other end of the line.

'Secure the area and get back here.' Alberta said. She hung up the phone. As soon as she did, it sounded again. She answered.

'Green.' Alberta said.

'Alberta it's Henry, I've got a Sandra Schumann on the line, she claims to be Jack Bauer's partner.' Henry said.

Alberta looked at Nadia.

'Put her through.' Alberta said.

There was a crackling on the line.

'Hello Ms. Schumann is it?' Alberta asked.

'Yes.' Sandra said.

'You're Jack Bauer's girlfriend?' Alberta asked.

'I guess you could say that.' Sandra said.

'How can I help you?' Alberta said.

'It's about Jack.' Sandra said. Her voice wavered.

'What is it?' Alberta asked.

'This morning he was watching the news and he heard about his daughter…' Sandra paused. 'I tried my best to keep him calm but…'

'What happened Sandra?' Alberta asked.

'He's gone.' Sandra said. 'I went to get him some medication and when I came back he was gone. I didn't know who else to call…'

'You called the right place, Sandra. I want to thank you for this. I'm going to pass you back to Henry Fisher and he's going to take all your details.' Alberta said.

'Okay.' Sandra said.

Alberta transferred the call. Then she looked at Nadia.

'Well it looks like Jack is active.' Alberta said.

Nadia considered it for a moment. 'It was probably him that apprehended Shareef.'

'That's not possible. As I say, no one outside CTU knew about Shareef's location.' Alberta said.

'I don't think you fully appreciate what you're dealing with here. Jack Bauer has led this country through six major terrorist incidents. He is extremely efficient and when he sets out to do something, you better believe that he won't stop until it's achieved.' Nadia said.

'You seriously believe that Jack apprehended Shareef?' Alberta asked. 'But how? Jack has no contacts left inside CTU.'

'But he has contacts on the outside. One of them is probably the smartest computer technician in this country.' Nadia said.

Alberta paused. 'Chloe O'Brien.'

Nadia nodded.

Alberta pushed Henry's auto-dial.

'CTU Fisher.' Henry said.

'It's Alberta, I want you to bring Chloe O'Brien into CTU for questioning.'

**Abandoned dock-side warehouse, Los Angeles.**

JACK BAUER pulled up outside the abandoned dock-side warehouse. He opened the door and climbed out of the car.

He walked over to the passenger side door and opened it, dragging the hand-cuffed Shareef out of the car.

'Where are you taking me?' Shareef asked.

'Shut up!' Jack said. He smacked Shareef over the face with butt of his pistol.

Jack dragged Shareef into the warehouse. He closed the door behind him.

Inside, Jack dragged Shareef to the centre of the warehouse. There was a rusty metal chair off to one side. Jack grabbed it and forced Shareef down.

Jack took a pair of hand-cuffs from his jacket pocket and slapped them of Shareef, cuffing him to the chair.

'If you make any attempt to escape, I will shoot you right between the eyes.' Jack said.

'I…' Shareef said but was interrupted by Jack, hitting him hard across the face.

'Now, where is Mamoud Faruq?' Jack asked.

Shareef looked at Jack, blood forming at his lip.

'I have no idea…' Shareef said.

'You're lying to me!' Jack said. He raised his hand and struck Shareef across the head. Shareef grunted in pain.

'I'm not lying. I haven't spoken to Faruq since I left Holy Light…' Shareef said.

'You left Holy Light?' Jack asked.

'Holy Light dissolved over a year ago. That's when I last saw Faruq.' Shareef said.

Jack looked away, trying to contemplate what this all meant. If Holy Light had really dissolved then CTU's intelligence was incredibly bad and someone else was responsible for Kim's death. Either that or Shareef was lying.

Jack kneeled down in front of Shareef.

'Are you lying to me?' Jack asked.

'I'm not.' Shareef said.

'We'll see about that.' Jack said. He pulled out a pen-knife and flicked it open.

Jack moved forward as Shareef screamed in horror.

**White House, Washington D.C**

PRESIDENT FOREST sat behind his desk in the Oval Office. He closed the manila folder and pulled a cell phone from his jacket. He dialled in a number.

'Hello?' A deep voice answered.

'It's me.' President Forest said.

'Good. I was just about to call you.' The deep voice said.

'Fiscal Freedom is in play. I'm going to LA to meet with the governor of California, then I'm going to sign it.' President Forest said.

'It's about time. I was beginning to lose faith in you.' The deep voice said.

'Do I need to remind you that I'm the President of the United States? A little respect is necessary considering my position.' President Forest said.

'You may be the President of the United States, but you're still a board member and the manifesto provides that all board members are equal.' The deep voice said.

'Except for Red of course…' President Forest said. 'He has more power than all of us.'

'That's the way it has always been. Do I need to remind you of the oath you swore?' The deep voice asked.

'No.' President Forest said.

'Good. Red wants to meet you in LA when you land.' The deep voice said. 'Is that possible?'

'It might be tight, but I think I can squeeze him in.' President Forest said.

'Okay.'

The line went dead.

President Forest sighed loudly and looked out the window.

**Abandoned Warehouse, Los Angeles**

JACK BAUER held the knife over Shareef's head.

'Tell me the truth or I will cut you!' Jack said. Shareef winced in pain.

'I don't know anything!' Shareef screamed.

If this was happening three years ago, Jack would have already cut Shareef, but something was stopping him. He moved the knife towards Shareef and held it just above his shoulder, jamming it in the shoulder would ensure that no major artery was hit. It was also intensely painful. If Shareef was hiding anything, chances were he would give it up after Jack stabbed him in the shoulder.

Jack brought the knife closer to Shareef but the closer he got the more his hand started to shake. He couldn't do it.

Suddenly Jack's phone rang.

Jack shook himself out of the intensity. He pulled out his phone and looked at the caller ID. It said 'Unknown'. Jack shouldn't have answered it, but if he didn't he would have to go back to torturing Shareef.

He put the phone to his ear.

'Yeah?' Jack asked.

'Jack, is that you?' A familiar voice asked on the other end of the line.

'Who's asking?' Jack asked.

'It's Bill Buchanan, we need to talk.' Bill said.

'Now's not the time Bill.' Jack said. He gritted his teeth 'Did you watch the news this morning?' Jack said.

'Yes. I heard about Kimberly. I'm sorry.' Bill said.

'I don't care if you're sorry Bill. I don't care about anything anymore. Except finding Mamoud Faruq.' Jack said.

'That's why I'm calling you Jack. Faruq isn't the man you're looking for.' Bill said.

'What!?' Jack asked.

'CTU's intelligence has been compromised. They believe that Holy Light is responsible for the assassination of Senator Harris when in reality Holy Light disbanded over a year ago.' Bill said.

'And you have evidence of this?' Jack asked.

'Yes.' Bill said.

Jack turned away from Shareef.

'If Faruq didn't kill Kim then who did?' Jack asked.

'It's not safe to talk about this over the phone.' Bill said. 'Meet me.'

'I don't know Bill. I'm in the middle of something right now.' Jack said.

'I assume you mean you're interrogating Ahmed Bin Shareef, the second in charge of Holy Light.' Bill said. 'Let him go Jack, he's not involved in this. It's far higher than Shareef or Faruq.'

'What do you mean higher?' Jack asked.

'Meet with me Jack. The park off Chester Avenue. I'll be there in five minutes.' Bill said.

The line went dead.

Jack turned and looked at Shareef.

'You're staying here.' Jack said.

He left the warehouse.

**12:59:57…58…59…1:00:00**


End file.
